By Moonlight
by Hyperbunbun
Summary: Sakura chances upon 4 sealed spirits and wolf demon Syaoran as her servant! As demons start attacking, Sakura must find out who’s targeting her plus the arrogant & rude Syaoran’s connection to Tomoyo. Action, magic, romance, intrigue. Full summary inside.
1. Prologue

Summary: Sakura is used to fighting demons, but one day, she accidentally acquires four magic spirits and Syaoran, a powerful wolf demon, as a servant. Hatred for the other "kind" starts to course through both of them at first. As stronger and stronger demons start attacking Sakura, she must figure out the mysteries surrounding her and the people she loves: Who's targeting her? Why does Syaoran look comfortable around Tomoyo when he's so cold to Sakura? And where has Sakura met Syaoran before... perhaps...?

**Hello dear peoples! This is my first CCS fanfic, and it was inspired by the manga **_**Her Majesty's Dog**_** (which, btw, you really should read), and I'm hoping that everyone will like it. And, of course, please do REVIEW and tell me your opinions.**

**Enjoy!**

**--Hyperbunbun :3**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I dun own CCS characters, for they are far too great to be owned by a lowly me.  
**

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BY MOONLIGHT

Chapter Zero

**Prologue**

--

_All that could be heard was the hurried clambering of footsteps under a blackened night._

_Syaoran stopped to catch his breath. Pale moonlight scattered across the ground and mixed with the fallen autumn leaves of the dark forest. Wind blew sharply across his cheeks, rustling green and brown leaves alike. It was already hard to breathe, and the sudden smell of blood made it even harder. The scent shook him. He took off again, heart beating crazily in his chest._

He arrived at a clearing several moments later. The clearing wasn't big, but it was flat and lit by the moon. His glowing eyes focused on two figures lying in the middle of the little clearing. Syaoran's heart beat even faster than before. One was crouched low, her shimmering dark hair sprayed across her shivering shoulders. In her slender arms was the other girl, bleeding profusely from the side and shoulder, her head hidden from view by the first woman's hunched back. She was still.

"_Tomoyo," Syaoran whispered, afraid to lift his voice. But the dark haired girl had heard._

_Tomoyo slowly turned her head around. Her wide violet-gray eyes were rimmed with red, and tears continuously slid down her pale cheeks._

"_She... she's..." Tomoyo tried painfully to say, "She's...!"_

_Tomoyo tried desperately to express her torment, but it was too hard. She shut her eyes and turned her head back around to hug the limp girl. A loud sob escaped her lips and echoed into the forest. All Syaoran could do was stare..._

_Stare..._

_Stare..._

_Drip..._

Drip...

Syaoran slowly opened his eyes. He was in no forest, nor a clearing. He was still in his spacious cavern, in an underground reservoir of crystalline water. Once again, he's had that dream. He's been having that same dream every month... for the past two hundred years. Sometimes he'd wake up before he reached that clearing, and other times he'd wake after Tomoyo had announced the girl was dead. But every time he dreamed that dream, Tomoyo would never care to move her back and show him the girl's face. Who was she? It was a total mystery to Syaoran.

He looked around the cavern. Same as usual, there was nothing different and nothing amiss. Stalactites, stalagmites, wading pools, unmoving water, silence. The cave itself gave off an eerie glow that was enough to dimly light the cavern. There was only him- the only creature alive- and the pale orb beside his paw. Of course, he could change into human form, but what's the point? No one could find this place anyhow.

_How long has it been?_ He thought... _Definitely more than two hundred years. It's nice to be able to live so long._

He glanced at the orb. It seemed that the four pieces of parchment inside the spherical container were nothing special, but actually they had great power. Each parchment sealed a spirit. If released, the four spirits could wreak havoc upon the humans' world. Fortunately, none of the spirits' masters were of evil intentions.

Syaoran yawned and stretched out his four legs. He slowly stood from the spot he was occupying and started trotting around mystifying cavern to work his sore legs. Subconsciously, he took his line of sight to the cavern's only entrance and exit. It was a big hole, pretty much. Like a cave's entrance, nothing special or beautiful about it. But what seemed to be a wall of ice blocking the entirety of the hole was actually a magical barrier. A seal to keep demons out.

Of course, it also kept Syaoran in.

Just looking at the freedom he couldn't obtain irritated him. Syaoran turned his bright eyes to the orb on the other side of the cavern, and said to it in a low voice, "I've guarded you for so long now. She said she'd come back to get us all when she's reincarnated, and I've waited this long. Though I'm a demon, even _I_ can get bored!"

The last of his words rammed into the walls and harmlessly bounced back. He glared at his surroundings, daring to hope for a reply. After a few seconds, he scoffed at himself, and continued to trot around the cavern.

He had almost gotten back to his starting point when a sharp yelp resounded somewhere far off. Syaoran jerked his head up, bewildered. That wasn't his own voice, was it? He strained to hear for something more... _tap tap tap_. It was someone's quick footsteps, and it was coming from outside the barrier entrance. Syaoran's heart quickened, and his whole body started shivering.

_Can it be…?_ He thought. He couldn't move, his body not believing that someone had found this place. It must be a hallucination.

Silence ensued. Syaoran held his breath, waiting for some other sound to come to his ears.

A figure came into his line of sight from the other side of the barrier. The person was dressed in simple dark clothes, and a dark green scarf covered the head. The figure, breathing heavily, came into arm's length of the barrier, amazed, and Syaoran heard the person whisper, "A seal?" Syaoran wanted to open his mouth to make himself known, but was still too intrigued to do so. It seemed like the person couldn't see into the barrier. ((A/n: Sorta like the kind of glass where one side is see-thru and the other side isn't?))

There was a splitting cry. A loud reckless being bounded into view. It was an ugly golem demon, a middle-class demon that Syaoran could've gotten rid of easily, but it seemed the stranger was having a hard time doing that.

"Crap! Doesn't it give up?" The stranger moved into a combat stance, and got ready for the attack.

The monster collided with the human, throwing the two of them harshly against the barrier. It pinned the person against the barrier, which immediately started glowing bright red. Stunned as ever, Syaoran realized that the barrier was reacting to the person. The demon didn't seem to notice as its spiky hands roughly closed upon the neck of its struggling captive. The barrier glowed even brighter. Another light caught Syaoran's attention as he twisted his head around to find that the orb lying several yards away from him was also glowing bright red.

_Can it really be..?_ Syaoran found himself thinking, _but only one person can make the orb react, and it's--_

A deafening crash met his ears as Syaoran turned his head back around just in time to see the barrier shattering like glass. The demon and the human fell to the ground from lack of support. The green scarf loosened and fell from the person's head, revealing shoulder-length hair. Without hesitation, the person kicked square into the demon's chest, releasing its hold on the person's neck, who then flipped the monster over the head and onto its back. The golem groaned, then quickly recovered. Both opponents were about to stand up and attack when a flash of white mane leaped between them and with a growl, ferociously crunched down on the demon's right shoulder and swiped a large paw across its wide chest. Bleeding, the golem demon fell loudly onto its back and melted into fine dust.

The dark figure, shocked, jerked two feet back.

Syaoran shook off some dust off his white fur, but he didn't care about that. His heart pounded inside him as he shut his eyes and lowered his head. Wind mysteriously wrapped around him as he could feel himself transforming. The white fur disappeared, and his hind legs were turning into feet. His front legs became arms and hands, and tousled chocolate brown hair covered his scalp and shielded his eyes. The wind lifted, and there was a gasp behind him. He slowly turned around to face the girl. He was shaking with excitement. _It must be her_, he thought, grinning with anticipation, _it must be!_ He reopened his eyes.

His impatient gaze traveled from her feet to her hands, still in combat position, to her chest, to her neck...

But something was not right.

Syaoran's eyes finally rested on the woman's face. His breath hitched.

Her skin was beautifully pale, and her cheeks were rosy from fighting. She had dainty pink lips, slightly open, which reminded Syaoran of flowers he hadn't seen in two centuries. A perky nose rested below two gorgeous and crystalline emerald eyes, which were wide with amazement and curiosity. Slightly curled, auburn hair framed her delicate face and ended parallel to her shoulders. Syaoran couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Wha-" the amazed girl tried to say.

Syaoran couldn't make his mouth move either, for his head had stopped working. When he finally found his voice, he and the girl both expressed their feelings at the same time:

"Who the hell are you?!"

--

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**A/n: I'd appreciate it if you guys came up with a review! Things like more/less description, more/less action, better grammar, etc. will be extremely helpful.**

**Thanks!**

_Upcoming stuff:__ A contract binds Sak and Syao together as mistress and servant, and they just won't have it. And what's this, Syaoran knows Tomoyo??_


	2. Meeting

Summary: Sakura is used to fighting demons, but one day, she accidentally acquires four magic spirits and Syaoran, a powerful wolf demon, as a servant. Hatred for the other "kind" starts to course through both of them at first. As stronger and stronger demons start attacking Sakura, she must figure out the mysteries surrounding her and the people she loves: Who's targeting her? Why does Syaoran look comfortable around Tomoyo when he's so cold to Sakura? And where has Sakura met Syaoran before... perhaps...?

**Enjoy! And I can't tell you enough how nice critiques are (so I'll ask more at the end, muahahaha).**

**--Hyperbunbun :3**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I dun own CCS characters, for they are far too great to be owned by a lowly me.**

* * *

BY MOONLIGHT

Chapter One  
**Meeting**

--

Sakura knew at once that she wasn't going to have a good day.

Her alarm clock finally broke from her poundings. She burned her eggs in the morning and then found out there was no more milk for cereal. She had no choice but to crunch on dry oatmeal for breakfast as she used the remaining of her monthly allowance to buy groceries and a new clock.

On the way back, a careless bicycler almost ran into her, making her drop the gallon of milk she just bought, spilling it everywhere, and forcing her to go back to the market to buy a new gallon.

When she finally got home by noon, she was tired and pissed.

Sakura threw everything onto the kitchen counter and threw herself onto the couch. She sighed, "Spring vacation doesn't get any more annoying than this."

She decided to take a jog and go to Tomoyo's place. Her best friend always had ways to make her happy, no matter the circumstance. Sakura grinned.

Tomoyo lived on the west side of town while Sakura lived on the east. There was an expanse of forest that jutted from the north side of the town border and semi-divided the two sides of town, named Tomoeda. The town committee didn't issue a road to be made through the forest, which would have made things a lot more convenient for people like Sakura. The main road, instead, circled around the extended forest, forcing Sakura to walk an extra twenty minutes to get to Tomoyo's.

Today, though, she wasn't going to have it. She needed her best friend, _now_.

Sakura decided to cut through the forest. She put on a green scarf and left the house.

--

Sakura's mood lighted immensely as she walked into the thick woods. This wasn't her first time taking a shortcut through the forest. She's done it many times before, for various reasons, ranging from getting to school on time to visiting Tomoyo (like today) to patrolling the forest.

Of course, not everyone takes the shortcut through the forest. Actually, she's the only person who cuts through the forest. No one else does because Sakura spread around superstitions about the forest a long time ago, and it seemed like everyone believed it. _Why?_ Because she had to protect everyone.

She was the secret protector of Tomoeda.

And she protects Tomoeda from _what?_, you may ask.

From _demons_.

That's why she patrols the forest.

A normal person would laugh if Sakura claimed demons were real. But they were. They live and hide in the forest. There are many types of demons, ranging from animal-like ones to plant-like ones to elemental-based ones to just plain weird ones.

Anyway.

When she thought her day was getting better, Sakura was suddenly caught off-guard as she was thrown to the ground by an unseen force.

"Ooof!" The wind was knocked out of her. She tried to scramble off the ground as a roar enveloped the quiet forest. She whipped her whole body around and saw a six-foot two-legged animal charging at her.

Scratch that. It wasn't an animal… it was a demon.

"Ha," she smirked, as the monster got closer. "Too bad I have my handy-dandy demon-slaying equipment here today—"

She stopped. She fumbled through her pockets and patted around. She had left all her weapons at home…

"Crap!"

With wide eyes, Sakura sidestepped the fuming demon just as it was about to charge into her head-butt style. Slightly panicking, she ran as fast as she could, not paying attention to her surroundings. The demon thundered after her, roaring like a madman. After a bit, she grabbed a thick branch hanging from one of the countless trees and effortlessly swung onto higher branches, settling on the highest point of the maple. The demon snarled as he wrapped his rock-like arms around the tree Sakura was in and gave it a huge shake. The whole tree wobbled for a bit, but didn't do any good. She felt a moment's relief as she took the chance to scan the forest for any way out of the mess she was in. She spotted what looked to be a _hole_ in the earth a quarter of a mile a way. Without further thought, she leaped from the branches and landed on another nearby tree. The now furious monster followed from below.

Sakura jumped from one tree to another while the demon ran after her on the ground. When she reached the big hole, she hurried off the last tree and toward the opening. The demon was still following her, and was about to reach her again in several seconds. Weighing her options, she jumped into the mysterious hole, hoping it wasn't deep and filled with jagged rocks at the bottom.

The landing was perfect. It wasn't that long of a drop, about twenty feet, and she was relieved that the hole was too small for the demon to fit through. Sakura calmed herself down as she looked around her. To the left of her was a rather suspicious black tunnel, three yards in diameter. Above her she could hear the demon slowly clawing the hole wider and wider, and she began to run through the tunnel. Less than five seconds later she heard the demon roaring down the hole as well. Sakura felt a bit more panicky as she raced through the dark passage (which was strangely well-dug), praying it led to somewhere nice. She could feel that the tunnel was sloping down as she ran deeper into it. There was a faint glow where the tunnel swerved left, and she frowned.

She turned the corner and stopped. It was a dead end, and in front of her was a huge wall of ice.

"…"

Sakura stared at the curious wall. It was emitting a velvety blue aura, which dimly lit her tunnel.

"A seal?" she commented, wondering what it was doing here in the forest. A shriek brought Sakura to her senses as she turned around.

The energetic demon was clambering fast toward her, not even fifteen yards away. Sakura was in half-panic mode now. She cursed her luck and scolded herself for not bringing weapons. She looked around, but there was no way out. Biting her lip, she prepared herself.

_Am I going to…die today…?_ A small thought forced its way into her mind. She shook it away and glared at her opponent.

The creature charged at her head, but Sakura side-stepped it again. The tunnel was too small, however, so the demon quickly turned around and slammed against her. Sakura yelped as she was flung against the tunnel wall. The demon's black paw swiped her side, ramming her into the ice seal this time. The seal started to glow red upon contact with Sakura. She didn't have time to recover her defensive stance as the demon grabbed her waist with one hand and her neck with another, lifting her up and against the ice.

Strangling, Sakura tried to kick the demon. She used her hands to try and pry the demon's hand from her neck. She gasped for breath as the demon's strength didn't seem to falter. Suddenly, the ice behind her cracked. It broke and shattered into pebbles of harmless ice. Losing its balance, the demon fell forward, taking Sakura with it, into a spacious cavern. It loosened its grip on her neck. Sakura took the opening and kicked the demon in the chest, paralyzing it. She then used her legs to push the demon off and over her head. The demon landed on its face with a loud crash.

Sakura tried to stand, focused on regaining her breath and preparing for the demon's next attack. But before she could fully stand up, a huge white mass flew into her line of vision. She didn't have time to react as the white mass, an animal...a _wolf_...bit down on the demon's shoulder and suddenly swiped it across the chest. The horrendous creature crashed to the floor and disintegrated into dust.

Shocked, Sakura got up and prepared her stance again, ready to take on this new opponent. But the wolf stayed where it was, calm now. It curiously lowered its head, and stopped moving.

Sakura was glued to the sight. A warm, gentle wind started to grow and blew against the wolf's beautiful snow-white fur. It seemed to wrap itself around the wolf, slightly lifting the wolf off the ground. The wind began to grow opaque and foggy as the wolf fur shrunk back. The legs, now bare, elongated into human feet and human hands. The rest of the body also grew. Sakura gaped at the transformation as the wolf's head became that of a man's. Green cloth appeared out of nowhere as well as it grew and grew and wrapped itself into Chinese-styled shirt and pants.

The man's back was turned to her. Sakura stiffened in expectation as he slowly turned around to face her. He slowly opened his shut eyes to stare at her.

It was silent for a long time as both humans examined each other in wonder. Sakura stared at his handsome boyish face. He had fine brown hair. He was tall, lean, and muscular, no doubt. And his eyes were of the most curious swirl of molten gold and amber; his pupils were narrow, a bit like a cat's. The man was first to recover. He glared at her. Sakura snapped out of her daze as well and reinforced her stance.

"Who the hell are you?!" the both of them yelled at the same time.

Sakura widened her eyes a bit. So he was defensive too? But he looked so calm and amiable just now.

"Who are you and what are you doing here in my cavern?" Syaoran demanded.

Sakura looked around quickly. It was an amazing cave, with shallow pools dotting the ground. Everything was in pristine shape, as if untouched by human hands.

"I was unwillingly chased here," Sakura huffed at him. _Such a scathing tone he's using!_

"Well, you better get going fast, because I don't like strangers prancing about in my place. How the hell did you break that barrier anyway?"

"How rude! And who are _you_ exactly? Some kind of ruthless demon, no doubt. I'm sorry to have intruded on your territory, but forgive me for finding this sallow place! It wasn't like I made that seal break or anything." She bent forward in a cautious stance, in case this new demon was just as aggressive as the last one. Syaoran began to step sideways, making the both of them walk cautiously in large circles.

Syaoran growled. "Look here, girl. Not anyone can break that barrier, especially not a child like you. The only one who is able to do such a thing is my master. Now tell me how you forced it down!"

"I don't know!" Sakura yelled back, irritated. "It just broke of its own accord."

Syaoran glowered at her. "That barrier was supposed to guard my master's cards, along with keeping me safe. You're a dangerous one, to be powerful enough to force yourself into this place. Tell me who you are, or I'll kill you right now."

Sakura shivered. "I'm Sakura. And I'll tell you again, I did nothing to the barrier!"

Her foot kicked something heavy. Startled, she looked down. It was a glass orb, made out of the same material as the ice wall-barrier, and glowing a feverish red. Syaoran stopped circling and stiffened. "Hmm?" Sakura quickly bent down to pick the object up. As she did, the orb started to pulse. The red glow seemed to brighten. Her eyes widened. Syaoran's breath hitched.

"Don't touch that!" he yelled angrily, striding quickly toward Sakura. As he did, the orb cracked. It then broke into little blue pieces and disintegrated, revealing to Sakura four long pieces of parchment paper. Each piece had different ornate patterns and pictures drawn onto the front and back.

"Are these...cards?" Sakura whispered in amazement, staring at the beautiful things in her hands.

Syaoran snarled. He closed the distance between him and Sakura and lifted his right arm, about to swipe her like he did to the golem demon. Sakura quickly realized his anger and prepared to block his claws with her arms. His hands never made contact though as a wave of energy expanded from the cards in Sakura's hands. She yelled in surprise as the energy forced Syaoran's hand back, along with the rest of his body. The barrier threw him back several feet.

Stunned, Syaoran prepared to strike again, but the spherical barrier now covered all of Sakura. They both gasped as the cards floated out of Sakura's hands and circled around her at arm's length. Sakura began to feel lightheaded and paralyzed. She herself started to emit a pale glow as the cards circled around her faster and faster.

_Mistress,_ the wind around her body seemed to say to her. _Mistress…Mistress…_

Syaoran's eyes widened.

The glow from Sakura's body enveloped Syaoran. He yelled, scrambling futilely to get it off him. He felt himself being forced to kneel with one foot. She stared at him, frightened and still paralyzed. Struggling, Syaoran felt the glow manipulating his body. His golden eyes turned black as he lost control of his body.

"_What is your name, mistress?_" Syaoran felt the words escaping his mouth, an alluring voice echoing the cavern. He felt the cards' voices combine with his own.

"S-Sakura Kinomoto." Sakura felt strange and uncoordinated.

"_Sakura Kinomoto, you are now our mistress, who we will protect and serve with our bodies. You are now our mistress, and you will guide and command us. Our fates are now intertwined with yours, and this contract shall hold until the day you die."_

"W-what...?"

"_The contract is now complete."_

Then the cards vanished, leaving four dots of light in their place. The lights then flew into her body, and everything stopped glowing. Sakura, still lightheaded, fell to the ground. She tried to get up, but her head felt heavy. Her vision began to darken, and helpless, she fell unconscious.

--

"Girl… Hey, you…Hullo…?"

Sakura groaned. Her head felt groggy. "Oni-chan…?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "Lemme sleep some more…"

"What the hell are you talking about, you fool?"

Sakura froze. Her eyes shot open as she realized it wasn't her brother talking. She looked around frantically. She was leaned against the cavern wall, and her arms and legs were bound up by her long green scarf. The white wolf demon, still in his human form, glared at her from above, arms crossed in front of his chest. He gave off a predatory feel, which made Sakura shiver but annoyed her at the same time. She glared back, forgetting her situation.

"Oh, you've awoken," he said sarcastically.

"Untie me, you demon, or else!" she barked, knowing it was just an empty threat.

"No."

She huffed. "And why haven't you killed me yet?" she demanded.

Syaoran glared at her, obviously annoyed. "I can't. If I could, I would have gotten rid of you stupid girl a long time ago."

Sakura stared at him. It sounded like he said the truth. She felt a bit relieved, but also surprised. She looked at him questioningly.

Syaoran sighed. "I can't kill you," he started, "because you have my mistress's cards. They were her possessions: powerful spirits are contained in the four parchments. But since they made a contract to bind you as their new master, I'm unable to kill you. But I won't let you keep them. I'm supposed to guard those cards until my mistress comes back to get us."

She tried to remember what had happened earlier. Flashes of memories started to come back to her. The demon, the wolf, the cards, the contract... she gasped. "Am I your mistress too?" Syaoran grimaced. He had been hoping she didn't remember that.

"Yes. The cards were the ones who accepted you, but since I'm the guardian of the cards, I was part of the contract too."

"Huh. Then why'd you tie me up?" she said calmly, assured that he wouldn't harm her.

"So you don't run away. Then I would have had to chase you around." He scoffed.

"I won't run! Well, now that I'm not scared of you, that is." She smirked.

Syaoran's eye twitched. He glared at her for a moment, then stood up robotically and unwound her scarf. When he finished untying, Sakura stood up, stretched a bit, and dusted herself off. "There!" she sighed happily, now completely at ease around Syaoran.

"Well, I guess you couldn't have run too far with those short legs of yours anyhow."

She stiffened. She glared menacingly at the demon.

"You—"

He threw the scarf at her face, muffling her voice. Sakura screeched in irritation. She got ready to punch out his stomach when her stomach made a growling noise.

Sakura blushed, covering her stomach and looking away.

Syaoran's smirk widened.

"How embarrassing."

Her face turned redder as she stomped off toward the mouth of the cavern.

Syaoran, knowing he had to follow suit, chased after her. Before leaving the cavern, he turned around for a final look.

After two hundred years, he was leaving this place. His heart tightened a bit as he thought of his mistress, his _real_ mistress. His eyes pained for a second. Then he turned around without a second look back.

--

**[China ]**

Somewhere in the untouched forests of Huang Shan*, a little monkey swooped down from the branches and onto the ground. He picked up several colorful rocks, then tossed them away. He searched some more, intently focused on finding acceptable food to gather, not noticing a predator eying him from the shrubs behind him.

The monkey's nimble fingers grabbed a small insect from the base of a tree. He innocently popped it into his mouth, chewing for a few seconds, then swallowing. He didn't hear the leaves quietly swiveling from their positions, nor did he see the shadow of the creature silently crawling toward him. When he did, he looked around in alarm, but it was too late.

The monkey yelped, which was cut off abruptly. Birds from the surrounding area caught flight, fleeing from the creature that had before hidden its presence.

The sleek animal settled down under the shade of the tree and tore a limb from its fresh catch, tail swishing about in satisfaction. Its blood-red eyes eyed the meat with pleasure.

Licking its paws serenely, it lazily devoured its catch with a secretive smile.

_It seems the time has come._

_--_

* * *

*Huang Shan = literally, Yellow Mountain

And in case you didn't understand, the last italicized sentence was what the "creature" was thinking.

**A/n: Review please! Interesting? Boring? More action? Less dialogue?**

**Oh, and I'd like to know what powers you want Syaoran to have! Yes yes, please do tell.**

**Thanks!**

_Upcoming stuff:__ Syaoran and Tomoyo meet. Will Sakura and Syaoran ever stop going after each other's throats?_


End file.
